Gil Evans' career first took flight in the 1950s and 1960s, when he collaborated with Miles Davis on several albums. This 1983 concert, recorded live at the Palazzo dei Congressi in Lugano, Switzerland, includes a diverse repertoire ranging from music by Charles Mingus and Thelonius Monk to Jimi Hendrix and George Gershwin ("Here Come de Honey Man" from Porgy and Bess).

"On Monk's cranky 'Friday the 13th' Howard Johnson transforms the baritone saxophone into something altogether different from the standard reed fare. He does the same with the tuba on the other pieces performed…. It is interesting that only the clothing dates the performances. The music here sounds as if it could have been conceived this year, this week, this day. That was always the power of Gil Evans."—All About Jazz